A Typical Sunday at St. Stephen’s

Eucharist is the primary form of worship in the Episcopal Church. It is also commonly known as Holy Communion or The Lord’s Supper. The service has four distinct elements; Gathering, Listening and responding to the Word of God, Sharing the Meal of Christ, and the Sending. This is the pattern of worship of the ancient Christian Church, reflecting the pattern found in Jesus’ feeding of the thousands and in the Last Supper as recorded in the Gospels.

Jesus said to love the Lord, our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. In other words, with our whole selves. Traditionally then, Episcopal worship has sought to engage the whole body and all five senses in the act of worship. You will find that in Episcopal worship, there is a lot of movement: standing, sitting, kneeling and coming forward to receive communion. Though many people find these patterns of worship comforting, no one is required to participate in such a way as to make them uncomfortable. The Episcopal Church welcomes all baptized persons, of any age and from any Christian tradition at communion.

8 a.m. – Quiet, spoken service in traditional, Elizabethan English without music

10 a.m. – Service in contemporary English with hymns and organ music

Parking
We are located in a residential area with street parking on all surrounding streets. We also have a parking lot near the rear of the church on Ellison Ave.

Finding a Seat
Please feel free to sit in any pew on either side – front, middle, or back on the main floor of the sanctuary or there is also a balcony

Children
Children are very welcome at our services, and baptized children are invited to take communion with their parents. We have children’s activity bags available filled with quiet items to occupy your little ones during the service. We also offer a nursery and playroom during our 10:00 service where children 9 and under may play while being supervised if you wish. The children from the playroom usually rejoin the service for communion.

Education/Sunday SchoolDuring the Fall Winter and Spring, we have Kid’s Church during the first part (Gathering and the Word) of the 10:00 service for kids 5 to 11. Kid’s church has a different structure week to week as we rotate through different learning styles; mixing creativity and music in with more traditional teaching to offer a holistic experience of faith to the younger generation. The Kids return to the sanctuary for Communion.

Adult Forums are held regularly after the 10:00 service and all are welcome to participate. Also monthly we have Yes to Baptism, our program for youth 12 and up.

Following Along with the Service
At our 8:00 service, we use the Book of Common Prayer, copies of which are located in each pew. The service is easy to follow and begins on page 323.

At our 10:00 service, there is a bulletin that contains the entirety of the service except for the first and last hymn. These bulletins draw on all the authorized worship materials of the Episcopal Church and are changed throughout the year as the seasons of the Church Year change. The first and last hymns are usually found in the Hymnal, which is a blue book that can be found in each of the pews.

The sermons will focus on the Scripture Readings for the day, to listen to a sample of our sermons please visit the This Week’s Sermon tab..

The Peace is a time to pass the “peace of the Lord” along to your neighbors by greeting them with a handshake or hug.

We invite all baptized persons to communion, if you do not wish to participate in communion, you may come forward for a blessing.

Hospitality
Following the service join us for refreshments; coffee and snacks in winter, lemonade and light treats in summer.